Cary was born and raised in a Christian family in Indiana, but not a Reformed Christian family. His church experience was in the Restoration Movement, a tradition whose doctrinal distinctives are baptismal regeneration and anti-creedalism/confessionalism. Sensing a call into the ministry he attended a Restoration Movement Bible College named Johnson University where he studied for his undergrad. It was during these years that he was introduced to his future wife Karese. He graduated in May 2012 from Johnson University with a Bachelor’s in Bible/Media.
Following their marriage in August of 2012, Cary adopted Karese’s sons Peyton and Keagan, and through the mentorship of their local pastor, Cary sought full-time pastorate and was called and ordained in December 2013 as the pastor of Iroquois Valley Christian Church in Rensselaer, Indiana. But as a pastor Cary began to feel the heaviness of responsibility upon him in the office of undershepherd that God had placed him in. “I started to think often about how James said not many should be teachers because they would receive a stricter judgment and how Paul instructed Timothy to study to show himself approved a man who rightly divides the Word of God,” Cary said. During this time of searching the scriptures for greater convictions of truth, the family welcomed their daughter, Amarese in March 2015.
Through continued study of the Word, Cary’s convictions changed leading his family to the historic Reformed tradition of Christianity. “I started to see the sovereignty of God all over the pages of scripture and the Holy Spirit began to confirm the truth of God’s Word in my heart. I immediately had a desire to return to seminary and plant my feet more firmly in these deep truths. I remember sitting in my office at the church I was pastoring really struggling to figure out how I could go back to school and as a long shot googling “reformed seminaries in Indiana” thinking nothing would pop-up. To discover that there was a well respected seminary only and hour from where I was pastoring was a shock. In that moment I had a deep sense of God’s blessed providence in my life.”
Unfortunately following Cary’s acceptance into Mid-America he was dismissed as the pastor of Iroquois Valley due to his changed convictions thus affirming his desire to return to seminary and seek a pastoral call in the Reformed faith. By God’s providence and through God’s grace Cary was offered a position as the Seminary Intern of Cottage Grove Christian Reformed Church which he gladly accepted.
Today Cary is a part-time pastor at Cottage Grove Christian Reformed Church in South Holland, Illinois and is in his second year pursuing a Master of Divinity at Mid-America Reformed Seminary.
Five For Fruit 